Safeguarding

Havering College is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment for all children and vulnerable adult learners and accepts the responsibility to help safeguard and protect them from harm. For out of hours contact details use the .GOV portal to find the local authority contact details. Additionally calling Childline on 0800 1111 or the Metropolitan Police on 101.

Every member of staff has a responsibility to help ensure the safety and welfare of learners.

Progress Coaches are staff who support students alongside the academic team. They are integral to supporting students and very often students will use them to confide in when personal issues arise. The Progress Coaches will often signpost the students to Student Services for specialist help. The Progress Coaches meet termly with the designated Safeguarding Officers to discuss student issues and plan new support developments. They are available to support students in relation to safeguarding issues.

The Designated Officers are senior college staff equipped with specific training and skills to deal with safeguarding issues for both students and staff.

Meet the 2019 Safeguarding Team

Please contact one of the staff below if you have concerns about the safety or welfare of a learner.

Sandra Shepherd

01708 455 011

Safeguarding & Prevent Operations Officer

Ardleigh Green Campus

Catherine Foley

01708 455 011

Assistant Principal, Faculty of Business Technology

Ardleigh Green Campus

Cassandra Pitts

01708 455 011

Senior Student Services Officer

Quarles Campus

Jade Blackburn

01708 455 011

Head of Human Resources

Ardleigh Green Campus

Hayley Price

01708 455 011

Progress Coach

Rainham Campus

Garrett Hill

01708 455 011

Student Development & Learner Voice Officer

Ardleigh Green Campus

Emma Bowker

01708 455 011

Lecturer - School of Inclusive & Foundation Learning

Quarles Campus

Out of Hours Safeguarding Referrals

Contact details for the local authority where the young person or adult lives:

Havering London Borough Council

01708 433999

Barking & Dagenham London Borough Council

020 8227 3811

Redbridge London Borough Council

020 8553 5825

Thurrock District Council

01375 372480

Newham London Borough Council

020 8430 2000

Essex County Council

0845 606 1212

Young Minds

Leading UK charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing of children and young peoplewww.youngminds.org.uk – 0808 802 5544

Young people friendly website packed full of information on drugs and how to stay clear of themwww.talktofrank.com – 0300 123 6600

Muslim Youth Helpline

Provides faith and culturally sensitive support to Muslim youth in the UK. Free confidential helpline and online support servicewww.myh.org.uk – 0800 808 2008

Telephone Numbers

Havering College Child Protection Helpline – 01708 462718

Childline – 0800 1111 – childline.org.uk

Youth Zone – 01708 434499

Switchboard LGBT+ helpline – 0300 330 0630

NHS health enquiries – 111

National Sexual Health helpline – 0300 123 7123

Mental well-being MIND – 0300 123 3393

Alcohol support – 0300 123 1110

Drugs support – 01708 765200 or 0300 123 6600 (Frank)

Coram Voice – (for young people in Care) 0808 800 5792

Terence Higgins Trust - THT Direct (10am-8pm) 0808 802 1221

Extremism & Radicalisation

There have been many reports in the media recently of young people being targeted by adults who hold extreme views that advocate violence. Some young people have been persuaded to leave the country in secret and against the wishes of their family, putting themselves in extreme danger as a result. This page aims to help you as parents and carers to recognise when your child may be at risk from radicalisation and where to get help if you are worried. If you need a copy of this booklet in another language please emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What is radicalisation and extremism?

‘Extremism’ is where someone holds views that are intolerant of people who are of a different ethnicity, culture, religion, gender or sexual identity. It also includes calls for the death of members of the armed forces, both in this country and abroad. Extremists may try to force their views on others and in some cases, may believe that these views can justify the use of violence in order to achieve certain aims. ‘Radicalisation’ is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies associated with terrorist groups. Extremists will try to attract people to their cause by persuading them that their view of the world is the correct view and encouraging them to take action to change the world to fit these extremist views. Britain is a democratic country where the principles of tolerance and mutual respect for people of all faiths and beliefs is upheld by the law. Those who hold extremist views and advocate violence go against these fundamental principles.

Why do young people become radicalised?

Young people may be drawn to extremist views because:

They are trying to make sense of world events

They feel that their culture or religion is under threat

It makes them feel a sense of identity or belonging or being part of something

They are looking for adventure or excitement

They have a personal grievance or experience of racism or discrimination and feel they want to change things

They are under pressure from their peers who have links with these groups

How are young people radicalised?

The following could describe general teenage behaviour but together with other signs may mean the young person is being radicalised:

Out of character changes in dress, behaviour and changes in their friendship group

Losing interest in previous activities and friendships

Secretive behaviour and switching screens when you come near

The following signs are more specific to radicalisation:

Owning mobile phones or devices you haven’t given them

Showing sympathy for extremist causes

Advocating extremist messages

Glorifying violence

Accessing extremist literature and imagery

Showing a mistrust of mainstream media reports and belief in conspiracy theories

Appearing angry about government policies, especially foreign policy.

Make sure you know where your child is and who they are with; find out about your child’s friends and their families. Be aware of your child’s online activity and check which social media sites they are visiting; report any sites that you have concerns about. Talk to your child about their lives and their interests; encourage them to take up positive activities with local groups that you trust. Help your child to be critically aware of what they see on the TV or the internet; encourage them to see different points of view and help them to develop tolerance for others. Remind your child that people they contact over the internet may not be telling them the whole truth and may not inform them of any potential dangers. If they are being asked to keep something secret then they may be at risk of harm.

Get help from other members of your family or community that your child looks up to. If you feel there is a risk that your child may leave the country, take precautions such as keeping their passport in a safe place and reducing their access to money. Young people may come into contact with adults and peers with extremist views both online and in everyday life. The person may be a friend or relative or may be a stranger they meet online. Contact online may be through social media such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube but young people may be invited to join discussions on less well-known sites such as Kik, Whisper, Messenger, Yik Yak or Omegle. Extremists often use these sites because they are harder to monitor and they can hide their identity. Extremists often manipulate young people by using emotional triggers to engage with them and may target them when they are experiencing difficulties such as bereavement, emotional trauma, mental health issues or social isolation.

Where to get help

If you are worried that your child may be in contact with people who are trying to radicalise them, you can call the following people for information and advice:

Confidential Helplines

The Active Change Foundation (ACF) provides a confidential helpline to prevent British nationals from travelling to conflict zones. The ACF Confidential helpline telephone number is 020 8539 2770. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If there is an imminent threat of harm to others phone the Police on 999, or the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789 3215.

Further Sources of Support and Information

If you have a concern please talk to your child’s tutor or another person in the college that you trust as soon as possible. They will be able to help and can access support for you and your child.

Useful websites

Internet Matters has lots of information, advice and resources which can be used to help children stay safe online. Child Exploitation & Online Protection Command works with child protection partners across the UK and overseas to identify the main threats to children and coordinates activity against these threats to bring offenders to account, protecting children from harm online and offline. BBC Webwise provides information and support for the safe use of the internet.